Washington is seeking to downplay tensions with Riyadh over the West’s recent diplomacy with Iran, after Saudi Arabian Prince Turki al-Faisal was quoted by the Wall Street Journal this weekend highlighting deep skepticism inside Kingdom and within other Gulf countries regarding a deal announced last month between the P5+1 global powers and Tehran over the latter’s nuclear program. Faisal had according to the Journal “echoed concerns raised by Israel and members of the U.S. Congress that the interim nuclear accord with Iran didn’t go far enough’ and had ‘accused the White House of blindsiding Riyadh with its overtures to Iran.” The Washington Times Monday quoted Marie Harf, the State Department’s deputy spokesman, responding to Faisal’s statements:

“The U.S. and Saudi Arabia have a long and close strategic partnership,” said Marie Harf, the State Department’s deputy spokesman. “One of the hallmarks of a good partnership is the ability to have quite frank conversations, even, maybe, when we disagree about these very important issues.”

Harf also pointed out that Faisal is “not even a government official.” Yesterday Mohammed bin Nawwaf bin Abdulaziz, the current Saudi Ambassador to Britain, published an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, headlined “Saudi Arabia Will Go It Alone.”

We believe that many of the West’s policies on both Iran and Syria risk the stability and security of the Middle East. This is a dangerous gamble, about which we cannot remain silent, and will not stand idly by…The foreign policy choices being made in some Western capitals risk the stability of the region and, potentially, the security of the whole Arab world. This means the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has no choice but to become more assertive in international affairs: more determined than ever to stand up for the genuine stability our region so desperately needs.

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